Social Sciences - BSc (Hons)

This module introduces students to the politics of social policy, building specifically on their learning in SO326 Understanding Contemporary Britain. Students will explore the role of politicians, pressure groups, the media and public opinion in shaping responses to social problems, and the party-political and ideological approaches to policy-making.

Students will explore the tensions between welfare and the economy and the main tensions between individualism and collectivism in the political environment of the contemporary welfare state. Students will be introduced to the role of politics in social policy making to understand the different value positions political parties hold. Students will examine these issues through five policy sectors of employment, social security, health, housing, and education.

This module introduces debates about the nature of social research methods principally in sociology, criminology, social history and psychology, with reference to social policy, politics and other social sciences. It will introduce students to social research from an interdisciplinary perspective. Students will develop key study and research skills for research methods module in Stage 2 and the dissertation in Stage 3.

This introductory course in criminology and criminal justice will introduce students to the ways in which images and notions of crime are constructed and represented, including the links between crime and the key social divisions of age, gender and ethnicity. They will be introduced to the workings of the criminal justice system and its key agencies. Students would cover the measurement of crime, media representations of crime, the aims and justifications of punishment and the structure and operation of the criminal justice.

This module introduces students to the history of Britain in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, through an exploration of changes and continuities across three themes: the political world; the economy; and social life. The political world theme engages with the creation of a mass democracy in 1918, the varying fortunes of the political parties, and Britain's changing place in the world. The economy theme explores the impact of depressions and recoveries, industrial relations, affluence and globalization. The social life theme draws out the human scale of such experiences, looking at changing social conditions, the experience of war, and shifting social attitudes to gender, race, sexuality and religion. Students will consider the range of primary sources that historians use to analyse past events and processes, building skills in documentary analysis.

This module follows on from Foundations in Social and Criminological Research 1 in developing students' skills in research and critical thinking. The emphasis in this module is on quantitative methods: evaluating the use of quantitative research in 'real life’ contexts, and developing skills in analysing quantitative data. Students will explore descriptive statistics, the evaluation of research designs and learn how to use SPSS to handle quantitative data.

The module will discuss classical and contemporary sociological perspectives (including Marxism, Weberianism, feminism and Bourdieusian), examining how they address key sociological debates, such as modernity, social order, conflict, agency and power. The module will also discuss key sociological concepts (such as class, gender and 'race'), explaining how they are used to understand social practices and structures in everyday life.

The module will discuss a range of substantive topics (e.g., families, deviance, economy and cities), examining how they address key sociological issues, such as agency, power and culture. The module will also discuss the implications of social practices and institutions for understanding everyday life and social change, explaining how class, gender, ethnicity and other social inequalities are significant concepts in shaping people's lived experiences. Classical and contemporary macro- and micro-theoretical perspectives (such as Marxism, feminism and postmodernism) will be employed to understand and explain social practices and institutions.

The lectures will give a brief history and overview of the discipline, followed by an examination of different approaches to explaining human behaviour. Different areas of psychology (such as social and cognitive) will be explained and examples of topics in these areas examined as illustrations. The focus will be on the nature of psychology as a discipline, the types of methods and approaches used in psychology, and how it compares and contrasts with other disciplines in the social sciences.

Perspectives examined in the course will include:

• biopsychology ( the nervous system, including structure, functions and effects of damage)

• evolutionary principles and their relevance to behaviour

• behaviourism (principles of learning through conditioning)

• cognitive psychology (e.g. memory, decision-making)

• social psychology (e.g. group membership)

• clinical issues (anxiety disorders)

Philosophy of science; approaches to research; levels of measurement; reliability and validity; research design; descriptive statistics; analytical tests (chi-square, t-tests and non-parametric alternatives, ANOVA and non-parametric alternatives, correlation, regression) ; using SPSS; reporting research; critical evaluation of research; and surveys.

This module introduces students to the use of qualitative methods for research in the social sciences in the interpretive tradition. It builds on the Stage 1 module, Foundations of Social and Criminological Research SAPO3130 and prepares students for sociological and socio-historical dissertations at Stage 3 SOCI5510. The module looks in detail at how sociologists and social historians do research. It contextualises the evolution of their research methods in relation to different schools of thoughts and critical perspectives, e.g. feminism. It exposes students to different tools of research including semi-structured and oral history interviews, focus groups, archival work and documentary analysis, ethnography, and visual, sensory, mobile and material methods.

This module will cover key criminal justice agencies, contestability, and privatisation; the contested purposes of prisons; offending behaviour programmes in prison and probation; 'alternative' models of offender rehabilitation such as democratic and hierarchical therapeutic penal regimes and the ‘good lives’ model; practice skills in working with offenders; parole, risk, and resettlement; and desistance from crime.

Would you like to volunteer for a cause you believe in while learning useful skills and gaining real world experience? If you would this is the module for you!

Social Justice Practice provides an opportunity for you to gain practical experience of the voluntary and community sector and combine it with academic study of the sector and related theoretical concepts such as social capital, social justice, volunteering, altruism and philanthropy. Lectures also cover topics such as the role, management, financing and governance – essential knowledge if you are planning to work in a wide range of different professions.

Students undertake at least 100 hours of voluntary work with a charity in Kent or Medway during the academic year. Once you sign up for this module you will be invited for an interview to discuss your volunteering plans and so you can find out more about the module and the volunteering you plan to do for it. Register in the usual way and you will be invited for an interview towards the end of the summer term (late May or early June).

This module approaches the study of social policy and welfare from the perspective of the everyday contexts in which it is implemented and experienced. Via this focus it will explore key substantive issues in contemporary social policy areas including health and social care, family, childhood and education, work and housing, as well as responding to contemporary and live debates. Key conceptual concerns include inequality and difference, the nature of care and the changing identities of welfare subjects and professionals. These concerns are set within the context of shifting welfare settlements and entitlements at national and international level. The policy issues are organised around everyday scales and spaces of policy intervention, including the body, home and family, neighbourhood, community and institution. This approach will enable students to engage with how welfare and social policy is ordered, experienced and contested within everyday contexts, as well as unevenly distributed at a local and regional level.

Case studies relevant to each lecture will enable students to explore lived experiences of welfare in diverse settings as well as develop analytical skills in responding to empirical research data. The module has a focus both on UK and European welfare contexts, and on how these local experiences of welfare are shaped by global change and dynamics, for example around migration, health and care.

This module, Young People and Violence, approaches the study of interpersonal violent crime as it relates to young people. It will explore violence experienced in everyday life paying particular interest to the social context in which it can occur; for example urban spaces, schools, familial setting and 'gang, gun and knife culture'. The concern with youth, crime and violence is critically appraised in the context of shifting political focus on disaffected young people. It will seek to understand violence within the context of youth in late modernity. One of the primary objectives of this module will be to engage students in analytical debates on crime and violence as experienced by young people as perpetrators and victims. It will examine and apply criminological theory to youth violence exploring the connection between crime and violence through the intersection of race, gender, ethnicity and class. In particular, the module will investigate the link between structure and agency. In this module, students will have the opportunity to review the impact of changing political and criminal justice responses to the youth crime problem. The module will have a national, as well as international focus.

This module will introduce students to the ways in which visual sources – in this case, films, television programmes and other visual broadcast media – can be used in historical research. The module will focus upon the case study of British film and television from the 1930s. Students will consider the role of film and television programmes in a variety of historical contexts: the impact of economic depression and rising affluence upon the consumption of leisure products; the utilisation of film by governments for propaganda and morale-boosting in wartime; for social and political critique; and the cinematic codes by which idea[s] of Britain[s] could be conveyed to domestic and overseas audiences.

Students will explore films from a range of genres, including feature film, documentaries and wartime propaganda. Within this, students will also consider the development of subgenres, such as Ealing comedies, kitchen-sink realism, soap opera and reality television. The module will also introduce students to the broader historical contexts of cultural production and exchange. Alongside close analysis of set films and television programmes, students will also be required to read and discuss critical studies of these texts. The course will explore the evolution of leisure in Britain, and the economic and political history of the media and film industries. Students will also consider the relationships between cultural consumption and social identities.

This module encourages students to take an international view of social policy, beyond the national state, and to develop understanding of the global links and comparisons that can be used to consider welfare in this way. It is recommended that students take this in their third year having studied one or both of the second year social policy modules (SO545 or SO749).

Introductory lectures and seminars will introduce the challenges and risks facing contemporary welfare regimes, including neoliberalism, globalisation and financial uncertainty, and the notion of mixed economies of welfare. Another block of learning will provide accounts of comparative approaches to welfare and explore histories and contemporary dynamics of welfare in the US and in mainland Europe. Finally a series of welfare topics on migration, care, work and citizenship will be introduced in order to explore issues and policy responses within a global framework.

This module examines the changes and continuities in the provision of social welfare in Britain from the early nineteenth century to the present day, with an emphasis on the period after 1945. It considers the context of policy and policy reform, as well as the processes.

The module will proceed chronologically, using specific major developments as a framework, e.g. the New Poor Law, the Liberal Reforms, the Second World War and reconstruction, the rise of free market ideologies from the 1970s. Within these milestones, students will engage with changes in claims to citizenship and the economy over this period, and how these have impacted on the direction of policy. Students will also look at the mechanics of the policy process, examining such topics as the decline of the Royal Commission, the rise of single-issue campaigning groups etc. Through the historical case studies to be examined, students will also engage with micro, meso and macro policy analysis and its application.

This module addresses many of the issues that have shaped the modern practice of policing in recent times. It traces the way in which landmark events have served to mould and shape the daily practice of policing, and the implications that these have for police discretion.

The module encourages students to think critically about these issues and to analyse the repercussions that their legacies have had for the routine, everyday social world of police officers and the communities that they serve. Topics include: police-race relations; stop-and-search practice; police cultures; corruption allegations; policing of riots and public disorder; policing of gendered and sexual violence; the rise of police privatisation and vigilantism and the development of performance based cultures.

This module aims to provide a broad introduction to social ethics. It will give students moral frameworks with which to address contemporary issues affecting social and professional practices and relationships. The module explores how everyday encounters and practices have ethical dimensions, which are often neglected in sociological accounts.

A range of topics will be examined, including euthanasia, abortion, capital punishment, prostitution, cannibalism, lying, charity and fair wage. It will draw upon several ethical perspectives, such as utilitarianism, deontology, virtue ethics, feminist ethics and theories of justice, to understand these topics.

This module concerns the application of psychological theory and research to issues in criminal justice. We will consider psychological research and application in areas such as offender profiling and investigative psychology, detecting deception, confessions and false confessions, jury decision making, and eyewitness testimony. Recent psychological findings will be emphasised. Students will be encouraged to take a critical approach to assessing the validity of theories and applications. Students should gain an understanding of the potential and limitations of psychology's contributions to criminal justice.

This module concerns the application of psychological theory and research to issues in criminal justice. We will consider psychological research and application in areas such as offender profiling and investigative psychology, detecting deception, confessions and false confessions, jury decision making, and eyewitness testimony. Recent psychological findings will be emphasised. Students will be encouraged to take a critical approach to assessing the validity of theories and applications. Students should gain an understanding of the potential and limitations of psychology's contributions to criminal justice.

This module aims to provide a broad introduction to social ethics. It will give students moral frameworks with which to address contemporary issues affecting social and professional practices and relationships. The module explores how everyday encounters and practices have ethical dimensions, which are often neglected in sociological accounts.

A range of topics will be examined, including euthanasia, abortion, capital punishment, prostitution, cannibalism, lying, charity and fair wage. It will draw upon several ethical perspectives, such as utilitarianism, deontology, virtue ethics, feminist ethics and theories of justice, to understand these topics.

The aim of the Dissertation is to enable students to undertake independent research.

In the course of their projects, students will deepen their critical understanding of research design and the application of specific techniques, and will further develop theoretical and practical understandings of the approaches of the relevant discipline.

This module addresses many of the issues that have shaped the modern practice of policing in recent times. It traces the way in which landmark events have served to mould and shape the daily practice of policing, and the implications that these have for police discretion.

The module encourages students to think critically about these issues and to analyse the repercussions that their legacies have had for the routine, everyday social world of police officers and the communities that they serve. Topics include: police-race relations; stop-and-search practice; police cultures; corruption allegations; policing of riots and public disorder; policing of gendered and sexual violence; the rise of police privatisation and vigilantism and the development of performance based cultures.

This module examines the changes and continuities in the provision of social welfare in Britain from the early nineteenth century to the present day, with an emphasis on the period after 1945. It considers the context of policy and policy reform, as well as the processes.

The module will proceed chronologically, using specific major developments as a framework, e.g. the New Poor Law, the Liberal Reforms, the Second World War and reconstruction, the rise of free market ideologies from the 1970s. Within these milestones, students will engage with changes in claims to citizenship and the economy over this period, and how these have impacted on the direction of policy. Students will also look at the mechanics of the policy process, examining such topics as the decline of the Royal Commission, the rise of single-issue campaigning groups etc. Through the historical case studies to be examined, students will also engage with micro, meso and macro policy analysis and its application.

This module encourages students to take an international view of social policy, beyond the national state, and to develop understanding of the global links and comparisons that can be used to consider welfare in this way. It is recommended that students take this in their third year having studied one or both of the second year social policy modules (SO545 or SO749).

Introductory lectures and seminars will introduce the challenges and risks facing contemporary welfare regimes, including neoliberalism, globalisation and financial uncertainty, and the notion of mixed economies of welfare. Another block of learning will provide accounts of comparative approaches to welfare and explore histories and contemporary dynamics of welfare in the US and in mainland Europe. Finally a series of welfare topics on migration, care, work and citizenship will be introduced in order to explore issues and policy responses within a global framework.

This module will introduce students to the ways in which visual sources – in this case, films, television programmes and other visual broadcast media – can be used in historical research. The module will focus upon the case study of British film and television from the 1930s. Students will consider the role of film and television programmes in a variety of historical contexts: the impact of economic depression and rising affluence upon the consumption of leisure products; the utilisation of film by governments for propaganda and morale-boosting in wartime; for social and political critique; and the cinematic codes by which idea[s] of Britain[s] could be conveyed to domestic and overseas audiences.

Students will explore films from a range of genres, including feature film, documentaries and wartime propaganda. Within this, students will also consider the development of subgenres, such as Ealing comedies, kitchen-sink realism, soap opera and reality television. The module will also introduce students to the broader historical contexts of cultural production and exchange. Alongside close analysis of set films and television programmes, students will also be required to read and discuss critical studies of these texts. The course will explore the evolution of leisure in Britain, and the economic and political history of the media and film industries. Students will also consider the relationships between cultural consumption and social identities.

This module, Young People and Violence, approaches the study of interpersonal violent crime as it relates to young people. It will explore violence experienced in everyday life paying particular interest to the social context in which it can occur; for example urban spaces, schools, familial setting and 'gang, gun and knife culture'. The concern with youth, crime and violence is critically appraised in the context of shifting political focus on disaffected young people. It will seek to understand violence within the context of youth in late modernity. One of the primary objectives of this module will be to engage students in analytical debates on crime and violence as experienced by young people as perpetrators and victims. It will examine and apply criminological theory to youth violence exploring the connection between crime and violence through the intersection of race, gender, ethnicity and class. In particular, the module will investigate the link between structure and agency. In this module, students will have the opportunity to review the impact of changing political and criminal justice responses to the youth crime problem. The module will have a national, as well as international focus.

This module approaches the study of social policy and welfare from the perspective of the everyday contexts in which it is implemented and experienced. Via this focus it will explore key substantive issues in contemporary social policy areas including health and social care, family, childhood and education, work and housing, as well as responding to contemporary and live debates. Key conceptual concerns include inequality and difference, the nature of care and the changing identities of welfare subjects and professionals. These concerns are set within the context of shifting welfare settlements and entitlements at national and international level. The policy issues are organised around everyday scales and spaces of policy intervention, including the body, home and family, neighbourhood, community and institution. This approach will enable students to engage with how welfare and social policy is ordered, experienced and contested within everyday contexts, as well as unevenly distributed at a local and regional level.

Case studies relevant to each lecture will enable students to explore lived experiences of welfare in diverse settings as well as develop analytical skills in responding to empirical research data. The module has a focus both on UK and European welfare contexts, and on how these local experiences of welfare are shaped by global change and dynamics, for example around migration, health and care.

Would you like to volunteer for a cause you believe in while learning useful skills and gaining real world experience? If you would this is the module for you!

Social Justice Practice provides an opportunity for you to gain practical experience of the voluntary and community sector and combine it with academic study of the sector and related theoretical concepts such as social capital, social justice, volunteering, altruism and philanthropy. Lectures also cover topics such as the role, management, financing and governance – essential knowledge if you are planning to work in a wide range of different professions.

Students undertake at least 100 hours of voluntary work with a charity in Kent or Medway during the academic year. Once you sign up for this module you will be invited for an interview to discuss your volunteering plans and so you can find out more about the module and the volunteering you plan to do for it. Register in the usual way and you will be invited for an interview towards the end of the summer term (late May or early June).

This module traces the way in which criminal justice and criminal justice policy have become increasingly politicised in recent years. It utilises key examples, such as terrorism, dangerous offenders, and capital punishment to highlight the interaction between popular opinion, research, policy formation and the criminalisation of particular groups within society. The module will analyse how and why crime has become such an important issue on the political agenda, as well as examining the important role that pressure groups (such as NACRO and the Howard League for Penal Reform) have played in mediating political rhetoric and policy.

Topics covered within the module include the criminalization of social policy; terrorism; 'dangerous' offenders; penal populism; and the politics of risk.

This module will cover key criminal justice agencies, contestability, and privatisation; the contested purposes of prisons; offending behaviour programmes in prison and probation; 'alternative' models of offender rehabilitation such as democratic and hierarchical therapeutic penal regimes and the ‘good lives’ model; practice skills in working with offenders; parole, risk, and resettlement; and desistance from crime.